Meet Our Team

It’s Nice to Meet You

Here’s who you’ll find at Silk Road Textiles. Whether you’re searching for a unique addition to your project, hoping to learn a new skill, or looking for inspiration, we’re here to help you create something amazing.

Terry Owen, Proprietor/General Manager

The name Silk Road Textiles hints at discovery and adventure, and launching this enterprise has been both of these and more for Terry.

Terry is a lifelong student and creator of fiber art. She first took up needle and thread at age six. By third grade, her mother had taught her to use the family’s black Singer Featherweight sewing machine, and Terry was making her own shorts, skirts, and blouses. “I made my first quilt when I was sixteen,” she remembers, “and then I just kept making things.”

As a student at Miami University, Terry had a concentration of course work in textiles, fashion design, fibers and finishes. After earning a degree in Home Economics and Consumer Sciences, she became a teacher, starting her career as a Peace Corps volunteer in Liberia. There, she was able to travel extensively throughout West Africa studying indigenous fabrics and fibers, weaving techniques and dying methods. Her passion has since led her to explore the textile and artistic traditions in France, Ireland, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Guatemala, Mexico, Brazil and Egypt.

In Cincinnati, Terry has taught Family and Consumer Sciences for thirty years in Cincinnati Public, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, and Finneytown local school districts. She has also taught adult sewing and quilting classes in the Finneytown Adult Community Education program, at the Clifton Cultural Arts Center, and as an associate at St. Theresa’s Textile Trove.

In 2011, Terry began planning to open a high-end, global textile market in the neighborhood of College Hill – an idea that had been growing for the past decade. The same year, she purchased a College Hill landmark, the building that for years housed Visconti-Lechler Pharmacy. Built in 1936, the structure was initially divided to house both a pharmacy and a dressmaker’s boutique. The boutique closed in 1951 as the pharmacy and soda fountain continued to expand. Today, 6106 Hamilton Avenue is once again a home for sewers and fabric artists.

In June 2012, with countless hours of help from family and friends, and unflagging enthusiasm and support from the College Hill community, Terry embarked on a new journey with the opening of Silk Road Textiles.

Amy Wallace, Assistant Manager/Resident Art Expert

Amy Wallace has been involved in Cincinnati’s art and craft scene for over twenty years.

She became best-known for her one-woman company, Ovenfried Beads. Amy now explores many media including fiber art, paper art, and bead art.

Color is her second language.

Gay Volz, Resident Sewing Expert

Gay Volz has earned the title “sewing expert” several times over, and she is also an avid knitter. She completed her bachelor’s degree at the University of Cincinnati, earned a Master of Education at Xavier University, and continued beyond her master’s to complete courses at Miami University’s Summer Art Institute CraftSummer program, among other excellent institutions. Gay has taught basic sewing, quilting, tailoring, and pattern design to teens and adults for over 30 years, as a public school teacher of Family and Consumer Science and in the community as a class instructor at St. Theresa’s Textile Trove, Kramer’s Sew & Vac, and Clifton Cultural Arts Center. She is familiar with many types of machines, including Bernina, Singer, and Viking. Gay is married with two grown sons and three grandchildren.

Resident Knitting Experts

Lynn Warner became an avid knitter after graduating from Bowling Green State University. Her mother taught her the basics, and she just took to it–so much so that Lynn has now taught her mother some new things! Lynn has taught herself many techniques and loves to try out new patterns. Her favorite things to knit are baby clothes.

Lynn has taught several people to knit over the years. Her projects have won several awards, including a first place blue ribbon at the Harvest Home Fair for a knitted lace tank top. She has recently been trying her hand at designing her own patterns. Born and raised in College Hill, Lynn is excited that Silk Road Textiles is on the Avenue!

Carolyn Gifreda learned to knit from a friend over ten years ago and has been at it ever since. She loves learning new techniques and teaching people to knit. Her favorite thing to knit is lace of all sorts, which came in handy when she modified a wrist warmer pattern to make her daughter custom lace gloves for her wedding.

Carolyn enjoys meeting new people at Silk Road Textiles and helping them with their projects. She is happy to share information about our high quality, fair trade products, something she feels sets us apart from other yarn and fabric stores.

Sasha Parks has been knitting and crocheting since she was six years old. During high school she was president of the knitting club where she taught dozens of her fellow students to knit. Since then her obsession with hand knit socks has given her the opportunity to learn lots of new techniques. She loves working with natural fibers and trying new yarns. Sasha has recently begun designing her own patterns.

Sasha’s favorite thing is helping people understand the mechanics of knitting so they can fix their own mistakes. She has an opinion on just about everything fiber related, so it’s easy to start a conversation. She’s excited to meet local fiber artists at Silk Road Textiles; stop in and say hi!

Class Instructors

Silk Road Textiles offers a variety of classes for all skill levels, in every type of fiber art. From sewing and knitting fundamentals, to quilt and garment making, special yarn projects, fabric dyeing, embellishments, and doll-making, our class instructors are excited to share their expertise, creative energy and love of fiber with you. Here are just a few of the artists you’ll find teaching at Silk Road Textiles: